The Broad Arrow
A number of pubs and former pubs in the area have a broad arrow symbol carved
into the beam over the fire in the bar, on a lintel, or some other prominent
place. These are connected with one Richard Ramsey Fielder MA, of Jesus
College. From the mid-1860s he based himself at the Lord Nelson
(Five Miles from Anywhere, No Hurry) Inn, declaring himself King of
Upware.
Conspicuous in his red waistcoat and corduroy breeches, he boated round
the fens drinking, writing doggerel verses and fighting with bargees.
On his boat Fielder had a large brownware jug emblazoned with, amongst other
things, his initial and the Broad Arrow he had adopted as his crest (the jug is
now in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge). He also carved this arrow
prominently in each of his favourite drinking haunts. One of his rhymes lists
some of them:
- At the Five Miles from Anywhere
- And the Sun at Waterbeach,
- At Fordham Green Dragon
- And the Black Horse at Reach,
- At Fordham Cherry Tree
- And Wicken's Maids Head,
- At Denver's Jenyn's Arms
- Is the Broad Arrow spread.
Which gives some idea of the area over which he roamed and boozed,
although his Broad Arrow could certainly also be found at Earith and
undoubtedly elsewhere. Another bit of his doggerel goes into more detail of
one of the pubs:
- The Maids Head at Wicken
- Jim Kettle lives here
- He'll give you good beer,
- A warm fire in the winter
- And good tap all the year.
- He'll trust if he knows you,
- If not he intends
- To keep but short reckonings
- And so stay good friends.
Another pub he frequented was the Plough at Fen
Ditton. The landlord here once saved Fielder from drowning (in the river not
in a pot of beer) and was presented with an engraved quart tankard by way of
thanks. The Folk Museum, Cambridge, has a poor photograph of what is possibly
this mug under accession number 201.68; it is a silver tankard presented by
Richard Ramsey Fielder to Joshua B Worts, publican of Clayhithe, in August
1864, having a Latin inscription with, in the centre, a circle and arrow, the
symbol carved by Fielder in the pubs he used. In 1968 the tankard was in the
possession of L A Anderson, 16 Bridge Street, St Ives, grandson of Worts. The
only problem is that Worts was almost certainly the licensee of the House of
Lords Inn, now the Bridge Inn, at Clayhithe not the Plough at Fen Ditton. Has
the story swapped pubs?
Unfortunately Fielder turned to boring respectability
in later years, retiring to Folkestone and clean living.
R Flood
ALE Summer 2003 No. 311
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